War Stories
by RebbieChan
Summary: Peggy recounts stories of fighting alongside Steve and the Howling Commandos during the war with Howard and Angie. Some Steve/Peggy.
1. Prolouge: Betty Carver'd

**Prologue: Betty Carver'd**

_"Captain America! Help!"_ The daring damsel Betty Carver howled over the radio in a shrill crack. Peggy fought the instinct to take off her shoe and smash the thing. She was more than sick and tired of the "Captain America Adventure Hour."

Angie, luckily, was already reaching for the dial. "Boy, if looks could kill," She started.

"Then you're very lucky you didn't land that part." Peggy shook her head, muttering under her breath, "I get captured _one time_ and they make a serial about it! Barnes was made captive at least three times by my count!"

Angie struggled to hold back a laugh. "So that part's true?"

Peggy rolled her eyes. "Hardly." She saw the look on Angie's face that begged her to elaborate. "I certainly didn't cry for help and wait for rescue."

"I wouldn't believe you if you said otherwise." Angie crossed the room and sat down next to Peggy. She pointed to the book in her lap, "Planning on starting that this year or are you going tell me how you got yourself Betty Carver'd?"

Peggy adjusted her posture. She hadn't expected her housemate to take a sudden interest in her military experience. Not that she minded talking about it, actually it might be nice to tell her, Angie was her confidant for almost everything else. "Are you sure you want to hear my old war stories?"

Angie shrugged, "Well half the time you can't tell me about your day, how else am I going to get a story out of you?" She narrowed her eyes at Peggy. "Unless those are classified too?"

She smiled, "they're not." She took a deep breath and exhaled, "Alright…" Peggy relaxed and re-situated herself so they could face one another. After a moment of thinking, she decided where to start. "We were coming back from an aborted mission into enemy territory. We had arrived near spitting distance of a Hydra base we were meant to infiltrate, but we had faulty information on how many forces had been stationed there and were ill equipped to handle the situation.

"What we didn't know was that we had been spotted and were being followed…"


	2. Chapter 1: Under Fire

**Chapter One: Under Fire**

One second, not even. One second and the world went from peaceful woodland like some kind of camping trip with the extended family, all the cousins, and sweet lemonade in hand to the hot fire reality that this was a warzone after all.

The team was rather small, fitting in two jeeps and the Captain's motorcycle, and made their way without urgency back towards camp. The sun had just started to creep out and filter speckled light through the trees. Bird's sang over the crunch of ground under tires and the hum of the motors.

It was a sleepy morning. The adrenaline high from anticipating a mission had worn off in a weird sense of disappointment and relief. Dugan and Jim Morita were joking about it over the space between their separate jeeps and it kept everyone else awake enough.

Peggy half-smiled, the jokes were dumb but their laughter was infectious. She had settled herself in the front passenger seat, resting against her rifle, just relaxed enough that she could have dozed if Gabe Jones hadn't kept driving them over larger rocks and jolting her from comfort.

Then the ground before them ripped open with a deafening blow.

The jeep lurched and rolled as a spray of earth, smoke, and fire hit them like a wave. Peggy gripped the side and seat of the vehicle. She couldn't be certain, she had her eyes fixed shut, but it felt like they went over three-sixty degrees, before hitting the earth with a bone-shaking _thump_.

Peggy's fingers ached, straining to hold herself in place. A ringing pain shot down her neck from whiplash. It rocked through her, suddenly seeming like a loud thing as the jeep skidded to a stop on its side.

Indistinguishable German shouting came from multiple directions. It sounded as if it were submerged in water or far away, but the sudden rat-tat of gunfire proved they were all too close.

She slid from the seat a little too fast, an alarm blaring in her head screaming at her to get moving, and landed between Jones and Dugan. The two men had been knocked to the ground, but recovered fast. This wasn't the first time they'd been thrown from something and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"How's that for a wakeup call?" Jones shouted.

"It'd be better if it wasn't trying to kill us," Dugan quipped.

Jacques Dernier stumbled from his seat, falling on top of Dugan with a grunt. Peggy followed his eyes as he looked up. "Incoming!" He shouted, throwing himself to their left.

She saw it too. Grenade. Before she fully processed it, Peggy was diving down the slope with the others. Some responses had simply become hardwired and automatic from experience. She hit the ground into a roll and tumble downhill. Dirt and debris showered them, clogging their lungs.

Where was the rest of the team? Steve? Had they been hit? Or chased in the opposite direction?

Peggy dug her should in, skidding to a stop. It felt like someone poured sawdust down her throat. She lifted her head, spat out a powdered lump of dirt and dust, and shook off the dizziness. Now was not the time for 'how did they know where we were' or 'they followed us' or any other baffled words. It was time to move, survive, and speculate later.

She pushed herself up off the ground enough to know to stay _down_. The spray of bullets nearly took off her head. "Keep low!" Peggy shouted, throat raw.

"Where are they coming from?" Dernier shouted, holding an antitank grenade ready.

Dugan rolled on his back. He watched the spray and pointed south. "Fire's coming that way!"

Dernier nodded. In a swift movement he sprung to his knees to his feet, lobbing the grenade and hit the earth again.

The four exchanged looks, tensing for the explosion.

It hit. Loud.

The fire spray stopped.

They sprung to their feet. Peggy bolted the opposite direction of fire. They needed to get behind some cover. Dugan and Dernier sprinted past her, aiming for a partially overturned tree whose ripped up roots made a wall of earth and limbs. It would be their best option. She strained her legs. If only they could _get_ there before-

The firing started again. Peggy ducked her head, her hands flying up as if they could shield her. It came sooner than expected. _Multiple units?_ She thought as she desperately flicked her eyes in search of the next closest defense.

Jones grabbed her by the shoulder and thrust the pair of them behind a tree, ducking low. Peggy breathed deeply, relief in the unsafe relative safety. Glancing back, Dugan and Dernier returned fire from their acquired position.

It was slower this time, the gunfire. It came in short bursts here and there. Their attackers had moved into the woods, now moving from tree to tree. Peggy and Gabe would have to do the same if they were going to reach the other two.

She rose carefully, leaning her shoulder against the bark. After the first few movements, she caught on with their rhythm of move-fire-move fire. "Go," she muttered when an opening struck.

Jones ducked over to the next tree. She held her gaze on the known positions of the enemy. She was tense, rigid in wait of his go-ahead. He readied himself and looked back, positioning himself to fire.

Just as he gave the order a flashbang struck.

She heard him mutter a curse, feeling one slip from her tongue as well.

If she thought they couldn't see before, they _really_ couldn't see now. _Or_ hear.

Peggy dropped to the ground again. She didn't know where they were going to come from now. Best to make herself a smaller target. They could be anywhere; she had to find better cover than crouching beside a tree. Vision came back quickly, but likely not quickly enough to be safe where she was. Especially so if her guess about being up against than one force was right. She wasn't going to take that chance.

There was nearby undergrowth. Not the most comfortable of hiding spots, but it was her best bet and in the moment it could have been king sized bed the way she pulled herself into it.

The crunch of footsteps caught her breath. Just in time. Hopefully.

She tensed again, hoping she hadn't been seen worming her way into the thicket, hoping the others repositioned themselves. Heavy footsteps clamored towards her, soldiers looking for new cover at a different angle or soldiers closing in on a hopefully not that obvious prey.

_Don't move._ She told herself, immediately thinking how stupidly obvious _that _was. The German soldiers were near enough now that she could make out what they were saying.

"These aren't the ones the Lieutenant mentioned."

"Are you sure? The male is very common looking."

"I'm sure, these ones we take out."

From the sound of their voices one of them stood a just a few feet from her, the other was further past him.

Her heart pounded. Should she stay, wait them out and risk being found in such a vulnerable position? Or should she try for the element of surprise and leap out to take them on? Peggy peered through the undergrowth, all she could see was the soldier's mud encrusted boot. She could probably take him out from how close they were and might have a chance on the second guy, but there could be more lurking in the woods further down.

In any case, she needed to be ready, Peggy tilted her rifle up from under her. She could only guess the accuracy of her aim. She should wait it out, she told herself, they weren't out there to win any battle. Their goal was simply to get back to base. She breathed out slowly and carefully. That was their goal, so getting back to the commandos as quick as she could should be top priority, they all worked that much better as a group.

At their next words, she didn't have a choice.

"There, fire!" The one closest to her muttered.

She pulled the trigger. Peggy couldn't see the soldier, so the only indication that she had hit him was the thump of his gun hitting the ground before her and his cry of pain.

Her position was known, it was time to move. She moved to spring up and go after the second one, but couldn't. Her jacket was caught in the branches.

The first soldier saw her struggle out of the jacket, clutching the stub where his blown-off hand had been. He reached for his gun with his good hand.

Shirking out of the sleeves, she rolled just in time to avoid his sloppy shot. She quickly moved to her knees, lifting her gun to fire.

The second soldier turned his gun on her, but he hesitated once he spotted her. She took the opportunity.

"Get her!" The first soldier shouted.

Jones leaned out from behind his cover, raising his gun. "Carter! Behind you!" She spotted the other two poked their heads out from their tree, aiming their guns in her direction.

Before any shots were made she felt a blow to the back of her head, out before she hit the ground.


	3. Chapter 2: Apologies to the Captain

**Chapter Two:** Apologies to the Captain

A horn blared from the south, the direction of the Hydra base, and the soldiers fell back. Steve glanced at Bucky, hiding behind a rock a few paces away."Either we're lucky or this can't be good."

Bucky shoved his last magazine into his gun. "Have to take it either way." The one thing the skirmish had proved was that they had been right to turn back from the mission. They were vastly outnumbered and were already running low on equipment.

Steve motioned for Izzy Cohen. "Check if we can get those jeeps running!"  
"On it, Cap!" He ran past the two, nabbing Falsworth and Morita to help flip the overturned vehicle.

It wasn't his whole team. That was what sat in his gut. Half of them weren't in sight and hadn't been since the battle broke out. And if the clearly winning Hydra soldiers were already pulling out, what did that mean for them? He felt a pang in his gut, the same feeling he had after every operation. Where were his soldiers? Was everyone alive and who hadn't made it out?

With a look, Bucky followed him to search the impromptu battlefield. They jaunted down the rise back to the road, keeping lookout for Hydra stragglers.

That gut pain coiled and twisted as it came into view.

The second jeep was missing a large chunk from its front, laying completely upside-down. Steve lifted it up, the moment of panic fleeting – no one had been trapped underneath. Behind him, Bucky watched for any movement – friendly or otherwise, from down the road. "They likely went downhill."

Steve nodded. He righted the vehicle, but it probably wasn't going to restart. Cohen was good, but he couldn't do much when the engine might as well be missing.

They started down the hill. Bucky's guess was correct. Scorch marks a bullet holes marked the trees. The one thing he didn't like about being a soldier was knowing very well that all his friends were soldiers too and that when he was risking his life, so were they. It was clear by the markings that they had been under heavier fire than what they returned.

He heard snapping twigs from up ahead and held up a hand. Bucky paused.  
Slowly, carefully, they crept forward.

"What are we gonna do?"

"Go after 'em of course!"

English. His team. Steve let out a breath of relief.

"That's up for the Captain to decide."

"What do you think he's going to say? Of course we're going in!"

But as he drew close enough to see them, he paused. Dugan, Jones and Dernier squatted in a circle. His breath caught, where was Peggy? Dugan picked something of the ground and shook it out. Peggy's jacket.

Bucky looked to Steve, wide-eyed. He didn't say it.

"What happened?" Steve asked an entered the clearing, startling the three.

"Aïe! Capitaine!" Dernier exclaimed. "You frightened us!"

He glanced over the three, none of them were hurt. A little bruised and dirty, but no injuries in sight. "Where's Peggy?" He demanded, trying to hold back the fear in his voice.

The other two looked to Dugan. He folded her jacket and placed it under his arm. "She's fine. For now." He was choosing his words carefully, giving him the good news before the bad. It was the same tactic Steve always used. "She was captured saving Gabe's life."

Jones ducked his head. Dernier turned back to Steve. "It was incroyable! Took a guy's hand off out from nowhere!"

"Carter got the second guy before he got me too," Jones nodded to a body a few yards away, half hidden in the trees. His voice lowered. "I should've been more careful."

Dugan stood up, continuing before Steve could say anything in response. "I don't think they'll hurt her, Cap. They retreated as soon as they nabbed her."  
Steve stood still for a moment, processing. They hadn't been enough to do the mission, they hadn't been enough to defend an attack, but it still wasn't a question. They would be enough to get Peggy back. Heck, she was probably planning her escape right then. He couldn't waste time feeling sorry or guilt so he shoved it to the back of his mind.

It was very likely a trap. He knew it. His team knew it. It still didn't matter.

"Then we have time to regroup and come up with a plan," He didn't hesitate as he spoke. It was that slick and sure determination that had earned him his spot in Project Rebirth and official rank as Captain, the honesty that he didn't believe there was another option.

His team in return didn't pause. Their Captain said they could do it and so they would.


	4. Intermission 1

Intermission 1:

"Who told you about the stuff you weren't there for?" Angie asked as Peggy got up to put the kettle on. She made a face as she watched her. "and while you're up, some coffee'd be real nice."

"What? Not one for tea?"

Angie cocked her eyebrow at her. "You knew that one already, English. Anyway," she folded her arms over the back of the sofa. "I was just wondering how accurate it is."

Peggy lifted her chin. "It's…mostly accurate at least." She had left out a few parts, deciding it was probably better to not mention the bloodier details or mentioning any actual deaths. Certainly Angie would catch on to that fact after a while, there weren't many war stories a soul could tell that didn't involve at least one somewhere. "Steve's not – _was_ not one for lying. Barnes' and Dugan's versions backed each other for the most part."

"Did they kidnap you because of him or…?"

Peggy smiled. She wasn't sure the term 'kidnaping' could be used in reference to enemy soldiers. "I was quite aware of that, but I'll get to that in a moment."

Angie seemed satisfied with that and slunk down into the couch again. Peggy glanced at the time, making sure they weren't going to be up too late talking. As she came back with the drinks, Angie asked her "so what's it like in a Nazi prison?"

"I'm assuming a lot worse than what I had." She handed Angie her coffee and resettled herself next to her. "It's one of the only times I was utterly grateful for someone thinking me to be completely incapable."


End file.
